Testing for nonlinearity of streamflow processes at different timescales

Streamflow processes are commonly accepted as nonlinear. However, it is not clear what kind of nonlinearity is acting underlying the streamflow processes and how strong the nonlinearity is for the streamflow processes at different timescales. Streamflow data of four rivers are investigated in order to study the character and type of nonlinearity that are present in the streamflow dynamics. The analysis focuses on four characteristic time scales (i.e. one year, one month, 1/3 month and one day), with BDS test to detect for the existence of general nonlinearity and the correlation exponent analysis method to test for the existence of a special case of nonlinearity, i.e. low dimensional chaos. At the same time, the power of the BDS test as well as the importance of removing seasonality from data for testing nonlinearity are discussed. It is found that there are stronger and more complicated nonlinear mechanisms acting at small timescales than at larger timescales. All annual series are linear, whereas all daily series are nonlinear. As the timescale increases from a day to a year, the nonlinearity weakens, and the nonlinearity of some 1/3-monthly and monthly streamflow series may be dominated by the effects of seasonal variance. While nonlinear behaviour seemed to be present with different intensity at the various time scales, the dynamics would not seem to be associable to the presence of low dimensional chaos.

[1]  Demetris Koutsoyiannis,et al.  Deterministic chaos versus stochasticity in analysis and modeling of point rainfall series , 1996 .

[2]  J. Theiler,et al.  Don't bleach chaotic data. , 1993, Chaos.

[3]  Itamar Procaccia,et al.  Complex or just complicated? , 1988, Nature.

[4]  Gregory B. Pasternack,et al.  Does the river run wild? Assessing chaos in hydrological systems , 1999 .

[5]  Bellie Sivakumar,et al.  Characterization and prediction of runoff dynamics: a nonlinear dynamical view , 2002 .

[6]  A. Wolf,et al.  Determining Lyapunov exponents from a time series , 1985 .

[7]  Hung Soo Kim,et al.  The BDS statistic and residual test , 2003 .

[8]  Fraser,et al.  Independent coordinates for strange attractors from mutual information. , 1986, Physical review. A, General physics.

[9]  P. Grassberger An optimized box-assisted algorithm for fractal dimensions , 1990 .

[10]  C. Essex,et al.  Correlation dimension and systematic geometric effects. , 1990, Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics.

[11]  W. Fuller,et al.  Distribution of the Estimators for Autoregressive Time Series with a Unit Root , 1979 .

[12]  Konstantine P. Georgakakos,et al.  Estimating the Dimension of Weather and Climate Attractors: Important Issues about the Procedure and Interpretation , 1993 .

[13]  Theiler,et al.  Spurious dimension from correlation algorithms applied to limited time-series data. , 1986, Physical review. A, General physics.

[14]  Holger Kantz,et al.  Practical implementation of nonlinear time series methods: The TISEAN package. , 1998, Chaos.

[15]  P. Young,et al.  Time series analysis, forecasting and control , 1972, IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control.

[16]  Renzo Rosso,et al.  Comment on “Chaos in rainfall” by I. Rodriguez‐Iturbe et al. , 1990 .

[17]  D. Ruelle,et al.  Fundamental limitations for estimating dimensions and Lyapunov exponents in dynamical systems , 1992 .

[18]  Luca Ridolfi,et al.  Nonlinear analysis of river flow time sequences , 1997 .

[19]  N. Minshall Predicting Storm Runoff on Small Experimental Watersheds , 1960 .

[20]  James P. Crutchfield,et al.  Geometry from a Time Series , 1980 .

[21]  James Theiler,et al.  Testing for nonlinearity in time series: the method of surrogate data , 1992 .

[22]  Anastasios A. Tsonis,et al.  Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics c○European Geophysical Society 2001 , 1999 .

[23]  B. LeBaron,et al.  Nonlinear Dynamics, Chaos, and Instability: Statistical Theory and Economic Evidence , 1991 .

[24]  Francesco Lisi,et al.  Nonlinear analysis and prediction of river flow time series , 2000 .

[25]  Shi-Zhong Hong,et al.  AN AMENDMENT TO THE FUNDAMENTAL LIMITS ON DIMENSION CALCULATIONS , 1994 .

[26]  M. Hinich Testing for Gaussianity and Linearity of a Stationary Time Series. , 1982 .

[27]  W. F. Rogers A practical model for linear and nonlinear runoff , 1980 .

[28]  Schreiber,et al.  Improved Surrogate Data for Nonlinearity Tests. , 1996, Physical review letters.

[29]  A. Ramachandra Rao,et al.  Linearity analysis on stationary segments of hydrologic time series , 2003 .

[30]  George E. P. Box,et al.  Time Series Analysis: Forecasting and Control , 1977 .

[31]  Wen Wang,et al.  Testing and modelling autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity of streamflow processes , 2005 .

[32]  James Theiler,et al.  Estimating fractal dimension , 1990 .

[33]  Mark S. Seyfried,et al.  Searching for chaotic dynamics in snowmelt runoff , 1991 .

[34]  P. Grassberger,et al.  Measuring the Strangeness of Strange Attractors , 1983 .

[35]  M. Sivapalan,et al.  On the relative roles of hillslope processes, channel routing, and network geomorphology in the hydrologic response of natural catchments , 1995 .

[36]  F. Takens Detecting strange attractors in turbulence , 1981 .

[37]  Ricardo Gimeno,et al.  Stationarity tests for financial time series , 1999 .

[38]  V. Gupta,et al.  A geomorphologic synthesis of nonlinearity in surface runoff , 1981 .

[39]  A. I. McLeod,et al.  DIAGNOSTIC CHECKING ARMA TIME SERIES MODELS USING SQUARED‐RESIDUAL AUTOCORRELATIONS , 1983 .

[40]  Biman Das,et al.  Calculating the dimension of attractors from small data sets , 1986 .

[41]  Farmer,et al.  Predicting chaotic time series. , 1987, Physical review letters.

[42]  M. Hénon,et al.  A two-dimensional mapping with a strange attractor , 1976 .

[43]  Shie-Yui Liong,et al.  Singapore Rainfall Behavior: Chaotic? , 1999 .

[44]  J. A. Stewart,et al.  Nonlinear Time Series Analysis , 2015 .

[45]  B. LeBaron,et al.  A test for independence based on the correlation dimension , 1996 .

[46]  P. Grassberger,et al.  Estimation of the Kolmogorov entropy from a chaotic signal , 1983 .

[47]  W. F. Rogers,et al.  Linear and nonlinear runoff from large drainage basins , 1982 .

[48]  P. Phillips,et al.  Testing the null hypothesis of stationarity against the alternative of a unit root: How sure are we that economic time series have a unit root? , 1992 .

[49]  P. Ghilardi Comment on "Chaos in rainfall" by I. Rodriquez-Iturbe et al, WRR, July 1989 , 1990 .

[50]  A. Rao,et al.  Gaussianity and linearity tests of hydrologic time series , 1990 .

[51]  J. Yorke,et al.  HOW MANY DELAY COORDINATES DO YOU NEED , 1993 .

[52]  Slobodan P. Simonovic,et al.  Estimation of missing streamflow data using principles of chaos theory , 2002 .

[53]  G. Schwert,et al.  Tests for Unit Roots: a Monte Carlo Investigation , 1988 .

[54]  W. F. Rogers Some characteristics and implications of drainage basin linearity and non-linearity , 1982 .

[55]  F. Chapelle Groundwater geochemistry and calcite cementation of the aquia aquifer in southern Maryland , 1983 .

[56]  P. Grassberger,et al.  Measuring the Strangeness of Strange Attractors , 1983 .

[57]  George Sugihara,et al.  Nonlinear forecasting as a way of distinguishing chaos from measurement error in time series , 1990, Nature.

[58]  Shaun Lovejoy,et al.  DISCUSSION of “Evidence of chaos in the rainfall-runoff process” Which chaos in the rainfall-runoff process? , 2002 .

[59]  A. Jayawardena,et al.  Analysis and prediction of chaos in rainfall and stream flow time series , 1994 .